Bisphenol A Position Statement

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an important chemical used primarily as an intermediate [1] in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins, which are used in a wide range of consumer and industrial applications.  During the production process, the BPA molecules are chemically bonded to one another to form the polymeric structure of the material itself. Exposure to BPA from polycarbonate plastic and/or epoxy resin food contact applications is minimal for consumers, ensuring the safety of these products. Sometimes there are mistaken claims that BPA is in PET soft drinks bottles: it is not.

Why do we need BPA?

• BPA is used primarily in the production of epoxy resins, polycarbonate plastic and thermal paper such as the paper used to print cash register receipts.
• Epoxy resins can have typical uses in tin cans, protecting the metal from corrosion (particularly when the food substance within the container is acidic) and ensuring long storage times for such foods. 

Is BPA use safe in plastics?

• BPA safety is a matter of risk vs hazard. The risk of exposure to the hazard of the chemical is mitigated through strict migration limits within the EU.
• Owing to its use in sensitive applications, BPA is one of the most widely studied compounds in the world. Extensive safety research has been conducted over the past four decades, providing a large database of toxicological and exposure data available to assess human health concerns and to establish the safe limits to which industry must adhere.
• The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in 2015 reconfirmed that using BPA in food contact products was safe, on account of its lower-than-expected toxicity and very small migration rates from polymers [2]
• Subsequent to a large EU risk-assessment study on BPA, the EFSA reduced the safety levels dramatically from 50 µg/kg to 4 µg/kg. However, this is not a cause for concern as the highest estimates for dietary exposure or a mixture of exposure sources (diet, dust, cosmetics and thermal paper) are three to five times lower than the new safety levels [2]

Additional European regulatory information regarding BPA

• BPA was added to Annex VI of the Classification, Labelling and Classification of Chemicals Regulation (EU Regulation 1272/2008) and was subsequently added to the Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) candidate list in 2017, under REACH.
• It was made clear during the SVHC consultation period, however, that monomer uses of BPA are considered as intermediate uses (which they are) and as such are exempt from the authorisation process under REACH.³ This is important since it means that the use of BPA to manufacture polycarbonate resins would not be subject to authorisation.

Based on the evidence, the BPF believes:

• The UK plastics industry considers issues of chemical safety to be of paramount importance in terms of consumer safety and environmental protection.
• The BPF supports the conclusions that at current exposure levels, plastics manufactured from or containing BPA pose no consumer health risks for any age group.
• Despite inclusion to the SVHC candidate list for BPA, it is clear that its monomer uses are exempt from the authorisation process under REACH.

Bibliography

1. EFSA. (2015). Bisphenol A. Available: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/topics/topic/bisphenol.htm. Last accessed 24th Jun 2015.
2. Henriette Jacobsen. (2015). EU's food safety agency gives green light to Bisphenol A. Available: http://www.euractiv.com/sections/agriculture-food/eus-food-safety-agency-gives-green-light-bisphenol-311445. Last accessed 24th Jun 2015.
3. ECHA. (2017). Candidate List of substances of very high concern for Authorisation. Available: https://echa.europa.eu/candidate-list-table/-/dislist/details/0b0236e180e22414. Last accessed 7th Aug 2017.

Reviewed on 24 May 2019